The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[6-text p 560]

Et sequitur pars secunda . [THE TALE.]

Ther was / a Chanon of Religioun Amonges vs / wolde infecte al a toun Line 973 Thogh it as greet were / as was Nynyuee Rome / Alisaundre / Troye / and othere three His sleighte / and his infinit falsnesse Ther koude no man / writen as I gesse Line 977 Though þat he lyue myghte a thousand yeer In al this world / of falshede nas his peer ffor in hise termes / so he wolde hym wynde And speke hise wordes / in so sly a kynde Line 981 Whanne he commune shal with any wight That he wol make hym doten anon right But it a feend be / as hym seluen is fful many a man / hath he bigiled er this Line 985 And wole / if that he lyue may a while And yet men ride and goon ful many a Mile Hym for to seke / and haue his Aqueyntaunce [folio 201a] Noght knowynge / of his false gouernaunce Line 989 And if yow list. to yeue me Audience I wol it telle heere / in youre presence ¶ But worshipful Chanons Religious Ne demeth nat. that I desclaundre youre hous Line 993 Al-though that my tale / of a Chanoun bee Of euery ordre / som shrewe is pardee And god forbede / that al a compaignye Sholde rewe / o. singuleer mannes folye Line 997 To sclaundre yow / is no thyng myn entente But to correcten / that is mys I-mente

[6-text p 561] This tale / was nat oonly / toold for yow But eek / for othere mo / ye woot wel how Line 1001 That among. cristes Apostles twelue Ther nas no traytour/ but Iudas hym selue Thanne / why sholde al the remenant haue a blame That giltlees were / by yow I seye the same Line 1005 Saue oonly this / if ye wol herkne me If any Iudas / in youre Couent be Remoeueth hym bitymes / I yow rede If shame / or los / may causen any drede Line 1009 And beeth no thyng displesed I yow preye But in this cas / herketh what I shal seye

IN London / was a preest Annueleer That ther-Inne / had dwelled many a yeer Line 1013 Which was so plesaunt and so seruysable Vn-to the wyf / where as he was at table That she wolde suffre hym no thyng for to paye ffor bord ne clothyng wente he neuer so gaye Line 1017 And spendyng siluer / hadde he right ynow Ther-of no fors / I wol procede as now And telle forth my tale / of the Chanon That broghte this preest/ to confusion Line 1021 ¶ This false Chanon / cam vp on a day Vn-to this preestes chambre / wher he lay Bisechynge hym / to lene hym a certeyn Of gold / and he wolde quite it hym ageyn Line 1025 Leene me a marc quod he / but dayes three And at my day / I wol it quiten thee And if so be / that thow me fynde fals Another day / do hange me by the hals Line 1029 ¶ This preest hym took a marc and that as swithe And this Chanoun / hym thanked ofte sithe And took/ his leue / and wente forth his weye And at the thridde day / broghte his moneye Line 1033 And to the preest / he took his gold agayn Wher-of this preest was wonder glad and fayn

[6-text p 562] ¶ Certes quod he / no thyng/ anoyeth me [folio 201b] To lene a man / a noble / or two / or thre Line 1037 Or what thyng / were in my possession Whan he / so trewe is of condicion That in no wise / he breke wole his day To swich a man / I kan neuer seye nay Line 1041 ¶ What quod this Chanoun / sholde I be vntrewe? Nay that were a thyng yfallen al of newe Trouthe is a thyng that I wol euere kepe In to that day / in which that I shal crepe Line 1045 In to my graue / or ellis god forbede Bileueth this / as siker as the Crede God thanke I / and in good tyme / be it sayd That ther was neuere man yet yuele apayd Line 1049 ffor gold ne siluer / that he to me lente Ne neuere falshede / in myn herte I mente And sire quod he / now of my pryuetee Syn ye so goodlich / han been vn-to me Line 1053 And kithed to me / so greet gentillesse Somwhat to quyte with youre kyndenesse I wol yow shewe / if that yow list to leere I wol yow teche / pleynly the manere Line 1057 How I kan werken / in Philosophie Taketh good heede / ye shul wel seen at eye That I wol doon / a maistrie er I go Line 1060 ¶ Ye quod the preest. ye sire quod he / and wol ye so? Marie / ther-of / I pray yow hertely ¶ At youre comandement sire trewely Quod the Chanon / and ellis god forbeede ¶ Loo how this theef koude his seruice beede Line 1065 fful sooth it is / that swich profred seruyse Stynketh / as witnessen thise olde wyse And that ful soone / I wol it verifie In this Chanon / roote of alle trecherie Line 1069 That euere moore / delit hath and gladnesse Swiche feendly thoughtes / in his herte impresse

[6-text p 563] How Cristes peple / he may to meschief / brynge God kepe vs / from his false dissymulynge Line 1073 ¶ Noght wiste this preest with whom þat he delt N[e] of his harm comynge / he no thyng felte O sely preest / o sely Innocent With coueitise / anon thou shalt be blent Line 1077 O gracelees / ful blynd is thy conceite No thyng/ ne artow war/ of the deceite Which that this fox / yshapen hath for thee Hise wily wrenches / thou ne mayst nat flee Line 1081 Wherfore to go / to the conclusion That refereth / to thy confusion Vnhappy man / anon I wol me hye [folio 202a] To tellen thyn vnwit / and his folye Line 1085 And eek the falsnesse / of that oother wrecche As ferforth / as my konnyng may strecche

This Chanon was my lord / ye wolden weene Sire hoost in feith / and by the heuenes queene Line 1089 It was another Chanon / and nat hee That kan an hundred foold moore subtiltee He hath bitrayed folkes many tyme Of his falshede / it dulleth me to ryme Line 1093 Euere whan þat I speke / of his falshede ffor shame of hym / my chekes wexen rede Algates / they bigynnen for to glowe ffor reednesse haue I noon / right wel I knowe Line 1097 In my visage / for fumes diuerse Of metals / whiche ye han herd me reherce Consumed / and wasted han my reednesse Now taak heede / of this Chanons cursednesse Line 1101 ¶ Sire quod he to the preest lat youre man gon ffor quyk siluer / that we hadde it anon And lat hym / bryngen Ounces two or three And whan he comth / as faste shal ye see Line 1105 A wonder thyng which ye saugh neuere er this ¶ Sire quod the preest it shal be doon ywis

[6-text p 564] He bad his seruant. fecchen hym this thyng And he al redy / was at his biddyng Line 1109 And wente hym forth / and cam anon agayn With this quyk siluer / soothly for to sayn And toke thise Ounces thre / to the Chanoun And he hem leyde / faire and wel adoun Line 1113 And bad the seruant. coles for to brynge That he anon / myghte go to his werkynge ¶ The coles / right anon weren yfet And this Chanon / took out a Crosselet Line 1117 Of his bosom / and shewed it to the preest This Instrument quod he / which þat thou seest Taake in thyn hand / and put thy self ther Inne Of this quyk siluer an Ounce / and heer bigynne Line 1121 In the name of Crist. to wexe a philosofre Ther been ful fewe / to whiche I wolde profre To shewen hem / thus muche of my science ffor ye shul seen / heer by experience Line 1125 That this quyk siluer / wol I mortifye Right in youre sighte anon / I wol nat lye And make as good siluer / and as fyn As ther is any / in youre purse or myn Line 1129 Or elleswhere / and make it malliable And elles / holdeth me / fals and vnable Amonges folk/ for euere to appeere [folio 202b] I haue a poudre heer / þat coste me deere Line 1133 Shal make al good / for it is cause of al My konnyng / which þat I to yow shewen shal Voyde youre man / and lat hym be ther oute And shette the dore / whils we been aboute Line 1137 Oure pryuetee / that no man vs espie Whils that we werke / in this Philosophie ¶ Al as he bad / fulfilled was in dede This ilke seruant anonright out yede Line 1141 And his Maister / shette the dore anon And to hire labour/ spedily they gon

[6-text p 565] ¶ This preest at this cursed Chanons biddyng Vp on the fir/ anon sette this thyng Line 1145 And blew the fir / and bisyed hym ful faste And this Chanon / in-to the Crosselet cast A poudre noot I wher of / that it was Ymaad / ouþer of chalk or of glas Line 1149 Or som what elles / was nat worth a flye To blynde with the preest. and bad hym hye The coles / for to couchen al aboue The Crosselet. for in tokenyng I thee loue Line 1153 Quod this Chanon / thyne owene handes two Shul werche al thyng/. which shal heer be do ¶ Graunt mercy quod the preest and was ful glad And couched cole / as that Chanon bad Line 1157 And while he bisy was // this feendly wrecche This false Chanoun / the foule feend hym fecche Out of his bosom / he took/ a Bechen cole In which ful subtilly / was maad an hole Line 1161 And ther-Inne / put was of siluer lemaille An Ounce / and stopped was with-outen faille The hole with wex / to kepe the lemaille In And vnderstondeth / that this false gyn Line 1165 Was nat maad ther / but it was maad bifore And othere thynges / I shal tellen moore Herafterward / whiche þat he with hym broghte Er he cam there / hym to bigile he thoghte Line 1169 And so he dide / er þat they wente atwynne Til he had terned hym / he koude nat blynne It dulleth me / whan that I of hym speke On his falshede / fayn wolde I me wreke Line 1173 If I wiste how / but he is heere and there He is so variaunt / þat he abit nowhere ¶ But taketh heede / now sires for goddes loue He took this cole / of which I spak aboue Line 1177 And in his hand / he baar it pryuely And whils the preest couched bisily

[6-text p 566] The coles / as I tolde yow er this [folio 203a] This Chanon seyde / freend ye doon amys Line 1181 This is nat couched / as it oghte be But soone / I shal amenden it quod he Now lat me medle ther-with / but a while ffor of yow / haue I pitee by seint Gile Line 1185 Ye been right hoot. I se wel how ye swete Haue heer a clooth / and wipe awey the wete And whils þat the preest wiped his face This Chanon / took his cole with harde grace Line 1189 And leyde it aboue / vp on the myddeward Of the Crosselet. and blew wel afterward Til that the coles / gonne faste brenne ¶ Now yeue vs drynke / quod the Chanon thenne Line 1193 As swithe al shal be wel I vndertake Sitte we doun / and lat vs myrie make And whan þat / this Chanones [[MS ns]] Bechen cole Was brent. al the lemaille out of the hole Line 1197 In-to the Crosselet fil anon adoun And so it moste nedes by resoun Syn it so euene / abouen it couched was But ther-of / wiste the preest no thyng alas Line 1201 He demed alle the coles yliche good ffor of that sleighte / he no thyng vnderstood And whan this Alkamystre saugh his tyme Ris vp quod he sire preest. and sit by me Line 1205 And for I woot wel / Ingot haue I noon Gooth walketh forth and brynge vs a Chalk/ stoon ffor I wol make oon / of the same shape That is an Ingot. if I may han hape Line 1209 And bryngeth eek with yow / a bolle or a panne fful of water / and ye shul se wel thanne How þat oure bisynesse / shal thryue & preeue And yet for ye shul han no mysbileeue Line 1213 Ne wrong conceite of me / in youre Absence I ne wol nat been out of youre presence

[6-text p 567] But go with yow / and come with yow ageyn The chambre dore / shortly for to seyn Line 1217 They opened and shette / and wente hir weye And forth with hem / they carieden the keye And coome agayn / with-outen any delay What sholde I tarien / al the longe day Line 1221 He took the Chalk / and shoope it in the wise Of an Ingot as I shal yow deuyse ¶ I seye / he took/ out of his owene sleeue A teyne of siluer / yuele moot he cheeue Line 1225 Which þat was nat / but an Ounce of weighte And taak heede now / of his cursed sleighte ¶ He shoope his Ingot in lengthe and eek in breede [folio 203a] Of this teyne / with-outen any drede Line 1229 So slyly / that the preest it nat espide And in his sleue / agayn he gan it hide And fro the fir/ he took vp his mateere And in thyngot putte it with myrie cheere Line 1233 And in the water vessel / he it caste Whan þat hym luste / and bad the preest as faste What þat heer is / put In thin hand and grope Thow fynde shalt ther siluer as I hope Line 1237 [. . . . . [[Not in Reg. 17 D xv, leaf210, bk. In Brit. Mus. Addit. 5140, leaf 303, back; Reg. 18 C ii, lf 171; Harl. 7333, leaf 92, col. 1, &c.]] . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] ] He putte his hand In / and took vp a teyne Of siluer fyn / and glad in euery veyne Line 1241 Was this preest. whan he saugh it was so Goddes blessyng and his moodres also And alle halwes / have ye sire Chanon Seyde this preest. and .I. hir malison Line 1245 But and ye vouche-sauf to techen me This noble craft and this subtiltee I wol be youre / in al that euere I may ¶ Quod the preest yet wol I make assay Line 1249 The seconde tyme / þat ye may taken heede And been expert of this / and in youre neede

[6-text p 568] Another day / assaye in myn absence This disciplyne / and this crafty science Line 1253 Lat take another Ounce / quod he tho Of quyk siluer / with-outen wordes mo And do ther with / as ye han doon er this With that oother / which þat now siluer is Line 1257 ¶ This preest hym bisieth / in al þat he kan To doon / as this Chanon / this cursed man Comanded hym / and faste he blew the fir ffor to come / to theffect of his desir Line 1261 And this Chanon / right in the meene while Al redy was / the preest eft to bigile And for a contenance / in his hand he bar An holwe stikke / taak kepe and be war Line 1265 In the ende of which / an Ounce and namoore Of siluer lemaille / put was as bifore In his cole / and stopped with wex weel ffor to kepe In / his lemaille euery deel Line 1269 And whil this preest was in his bisynesse This Chanon / with his stikke gan hym dresse To hym anon / and his poudre caste In As he dide er / the deuel / out of his skyn Line 1273 Hym terve / I pray to god / for his falshede ffor he was euere fals / in thoght and dede And with this stikke / aboue the Crosselet That was ordeyned / with that false Iet/ Line 1277 He stired the coles / til relente gan [folio 204a] The wex agayn the fir / as euery man? But it a fool be / woot wel it moot nede And al that in the stikke was out yede Line 1281 And in the crosselet hastily it fel ¶ Now good sires / what wol ye bet than wel Whan þat this preest. thus was bigiled ageyn Supposynge noght but treuthe sooth to seyn Line 1285 He was so glad / that I ne kan nat expresse In no manere / his myrthe and his gladnesse

[6-text p 569] And to the Chanon / he profred eftsoone Body and good / ye quod the Chanon soone Line 1289 Though poure I be / crafty thou shalt me fynde I warne thee / yet is ther moore bihynde ¶ Is ther any coper/ her Inne seyde he? ¶ Ye quod the preest sire I trowe wel ther be Line 1293 ¶ Elles go bye vs som / and that as swithe Now good sire / go forth thy wey and hy the ¶ He wente his wey / and with the coper cam And this Chanon / it in hise handes nam Line 1297 And of that coper / weyed out but an Ounce ¶ Al to symple / is my tonge to pronounce As Ministre of my wit the doublenesse Of this Chanon / roote of alle cursednesse Line 1301 He semed freendly / to hem / þat knewe hym noght But he was feendly / bothe in herte and thoght It weerieth me / to telle of his falsnesse And nathelees / yet wol I it expresse Line 1305 To thentente / that men may be war therby And for noon oother cause trewely ¶ He putte the Ounce of Coper in the Crosselet And on the fir / as swithe he hath it set/ Line 1309 And caste In poudre / and made the preest/ to blowe And in his werkyng for to stoupe lowe As he dide er / and al nas but a Iape Right as hym liste / the preest he made his Ape Line 1313 And afterward / in the Ingot he it caste And in the panne / putte it at the laste Of the water / In he putte his owene hand And in his sleue / as ye biforn hand Line 1317 Herde me telle / hadde a siluer teyne He slyly tooke it out/ this cursed heyne Vnwityng this preest of his false craft And in the pannes botme / he hath it laft Line 1321 And in the water / rombled to and fro And wonder pryuely / took vp also

[6-text p 570] The coper teyne / noght knowynge this preest And hidde it and hym hente by the breest Line 1325 And to hym spak and thus seyde in his game [folio 204b] Stoupeth adoun / by god ye be to blame Helpeth me now / as a dide yow whil eer Putte In youre hand / and looketh what is theer Line 1329 ¶ This preest took vp / this siluer teyne anon And thanne seyde the Chanon / lat vs gon With thise thre teynes / whiche þat we han wroght To som Goldsmyth / and wite if they been ouht Line 1333 ffor by my feith / I nolde for myn hood But if that they were siluer/ fyn and good And that as swithe / preeued it shal bee ¶ Vn-to the Goldsmyth / with thise teynes three Line 1337 They wente / and putte thise teynes in Assay To fir and hamer / myghte no man seye nay But þat they weren / as hem oghte be ¶ This sotted preest. who was gladder than he Line 1341 Was neuere brid / gladder agayn the day Ne nyghtyngale / in the seson of May Nas neuere man / that luste bet to synge Ne lady / lustier in carolynge Line 1345 Or for to speke of love and wommanhede Ne knyght in Armes / to doon an hardy dede To stonden in grace / of his lady deere Than hadde this preest this soory craft to leere Line 1349 And to the Chanon / thus he spak and seyde ffor loue of god / that for vs alle deyde And as I may / deserue it vn-to yow What shal this receite coste / telleth now Line 1353 ¶ By oure lady quod this Chanon / it is deere I warne yow wel / for saue I and a frere In Engelond / ther kan no man it make ¶ No fors quod he / now sire for goddes sake Line 1357 What shal I paye / telleth me I preye? ¶ Ywis quod he / it is ful deere I seye

[6-text p 571] Sire at o word / if that thee list it haue Ye shul paye fourty pound / so god me saue Line 1361 And nere the freendshipe / þat ye dide er this To me /. ye sholde paye moore y-wis ¶ This preest the somme of fourty pound anon Of nobles fette / and took hem euerichon Line 1365 To this Chanon / for this ilke receit Al his werkyng nas but fraude and deceit ¶ Sire preest he seyde / I kepe han no loos Of my craft / for I wolde it kept were cloos Line 1369 And as ye loue me / kepeth it secree ffor and men knewen / al my soutiltee By god / they wolden han so greet enuye To me / by cause / of my Philosophye Line 1373 I sholde be deed / ther were noon oother weye [folio 205a] ¶ God it forbeede quod the preest/ what sey ye Yet hadde I leuere / spenden al the good Which þat I haue / or elles wexe I wood Line 1377 Than that ye sholden falle in swiche mescheef/ ¶ ffor youre good wyl / sire haue ye right good preef Quod the Chanon / and farwel grant mercy He wente his wey / and neuer the preest hym sy Line 1381 After that day / and whan þat this preest shoolde Maken assay / at swich tyme as he wolde Of this receit / farwel / it wolde nat be Lo thus byiaped / and bigiled was he Line 1385 Thus maketh he / his introduccion To brynge folk/ to [hir] destruccion

COnsidereth sires / how þat in ech estaat Bitwixe men and gold / ther is debaat Line 1389 So ferforth / that vnnethe is ther noon This multiplying blent so many oon That in good feith / I trowe þat it bee The cause grettest of swich scarsetee Line 1393 Philosophres / speken so mystily In this craft þat men kan nat come therby

[6-text p 572] ffor any wit þat men han now a dayes They mowe wel chiteren / as þat doon Ioyes [[so]] Line 1397 And in hir termes / sette hir lust and peyne But to hir purpos / shul they neuere atteyne A man may lightly lerne / if he haue aught To multiplie / and brynge his good to naught Line 1401 ¶ Lo / swich a lucre / is in this lusty game A mannes myrthe / it wol turne vn-to grame And empten also / grete and heuye purses And maken folk / for to purchacen curses Line 1405 Of hem / þat han hir good / ther-to ylent ffy for shame / they þat han been brent Allas / kan they nat flee / the fires heete Ye that it vse / I rede ye it leete Line 1409 Lest ye lese al / for bet than neuere is late Neuere to thryue / were to long a date Though ye prolle ay / ye shul it neuere fynde Ye been as boold as is Bayard the blynde Line 1413 That blondreth forth / and peril casteth noon He is as boold / to renne agayn a stoon As for to goon / bisides in the weye So faren ye / that multiplie I seye Line 1417 If þat youre eyen / kan nat seen aright Looke þat youre mynde / lakke noght his sight ffor though ye looken neuer so brode and stare Ye shul no thyng wynne on that chaffare Line 1421 But wasten / al that ye / may rape and renne [folio 205b] Withdraweth the fir / lest it to faste brenne Medleth namoore / with that Art I mene ffor if ye doon / youre thrift is goon ful clene Line 1425 And right as swithe / I wol yow tellen heere What þat the Philosophres seyn in this mateere

LO thus seith Arnold of the newe toun As his Rosarie / maketh mencioun Line 1429 He seith right thus / with-outen any lye Ther may no man / Mercurie mortifie

[6-text p 573] But it be / with his brother knowlechyng How þat he / which þat first seyde this thyng Line 1433 Of Philosophres / fader first was hermes He seith / how þat the dragon doutelees Ne dyeth nat. but if that he be slayn With his brother/ and that is for to sayn Line 1437 By the dragon / Mercurie and noon oother He vnderstood / and Brymstoon by his brother That out of sol / and Luna were ydrawe And therfore seyde he / taak heede to my sawe Line 1441 Lat no man bisye hym / this Art for to seche But if þat he / thentencion and speche Of Philosophres / vnderstonde kan And if he do / he is a lewed man Line 1445 ffor this science / and this konnyng quod he Is of the secree / of the secretes pardee ¶ Also / ther was a disciple of Plato That on a tyme / seyde his maister to Line 1449 As his book senior / wol bere witnesse And this was his demande in soothfastnesse Telle me the name / of the priuee stoon ¶ And Plato answerde / vn-to hym anoon Line 1453 Take the stoon / that Titanos men name ¶ Which is that quod he? Magnasia is the same Seyde Plato / ye sire / and is it thus? This is / ignotum per ignocius Line 1457 What is Magnasia / good sire I yow preye? ¶ It is a water / that is maad I seye Of elementes foure quod Plato ¶ Telle me the roote / good sire quod he tho Line 1461 Of that water / if it be youre wille ¶ Nay nay quod Plato / certein that I nylle The Philosophres / sworn were euerychoon That they / sholden discouere it vn-to noon Line 1465 Ne in no book it write / in no manere ffor vn-to Crist / it is so lief and deere

[6-text p 574] That he wol nat that it discouered bee But where it liketh / to his deitee Line 1469 Man for tenspire / and eek / for to deffende [folio 206a] Whom þat hym liketh / lo this is the ende ¶ Thanne conclude I thus / sith þat god of heuene Ne wil nat that the Philosophres neuene Line 1473 How þat a man / shal come vn-to this stoon I rede vs for the beste / lete it goon ffor who so / maketh god his Aduersarie As for to werken / any thyng in contrarie Line 1477 Of his wil / certes neuer shal he thryue Thogh that he multiplie terme of lyue And there a poynt for ended is my tale Line 1480 God sende euery trewe man / boote of his bale Amen .

¶ Heere is ended the Chanons yemannes tale .